[Use of oral anticholinergic therapy in children under 1 years of age with high risk bladder]

To assess the effectiveness and safety of the treatment with oral anticholinergic agents (Oxybutin clorure) in patients under 1 year old, and who aree carriers of high risk bladder secondary to neurological illness as well as no neurological one.

Since 1989, we have indicated treatment with anticholinergic agents to 16 patients: 9 patients had neurogenic bladder secondary to: myelomeningocele (n=7) and sacrocoxigeal teratoma (n=2). Others 7 patients had non neurogenic bladder secondary to: posterior urethral valvulas (n=1), valvula-like syndrome (n=4), post-surgery of neonatal giant bladder diverticulum (n=1) and Prune-Belly syndrome (n=1). The urodinamic study was performed during the first six months of life, being "high risk bladder" defined according to the parameters of compliance vesical and pressure of leak at point (PER). Five of the patients showed neonatal cronic renal failure (CRF), who were treated by cutaneus temporary derivation. All patients at treatment with anticholinergic agents at a 0.2 mg/kg/day dose was established; other early adjunctive treatment prior to the closure of the urinary derivation in children with CRF(n=5); or as a part of the conservative treatment (n=3), alone or associate to intermittent bladder catheterization (IBC) (n=8). During the treatment with anticholinergic agents, the cardiac frequency was controlled by EKG registration in 6 patients, being the rest of the children clinicaly controled (skin colour, mouth dryness, cardiac frequency and intestinal function).

In all the cases, the minimum duration of the treatment was one year, until the functional stabilization of the urinary tract. It is to underline the absence of secondary complications which would have caused the suspension or the reduction of the treatment at long term. Conventional studies of urologicals image and urodinamic studies, showed the stabilization of the urinary tract and also the preservation of kidney function and not only was demonstrated in those patients with oral anticholinergic agent as their unique treatment, but also in those patients who had previously been derivated. The previous vesical stabilization allowed the optimum result of subsequent corrective surgeries in five patients (ureteroneocystostomy and vesiscotomy clousure. In cases with previous derivation, the treatment with oral anticholinergic agents made easier vesicostomic clousure in the forth quarter of the first year old wih the maintenance of the vesical stability.

The use of oral anticholinergic agents at a dose of 0.2 mg/kg/day, has resulted to be safe as well as effective in the treatment of high risk bladder in infancy those with less than one year of life. In those patients with serious dysplasia by reflux, it contributes to the preservation of kidney function, it makes easier the early desderivation and it also stabilizes in a functional way the bladder as a previous step to subsequent reconstructive surgeries.